Our Veterinarians

Dr. Barker has recently retired and is now enjoying all the things he loves. He can be found on occasion, helping the clinic on days when the other veterinarians are on vacation.

Before deciding to become a veterinarian, Dr. Terry Barker attended college to study business. While he was home on Christmas break one year, he came across a red-tailed hawk suffering from a gunshot wound. Dr. Barker took the bird home, cleaned the wound, and nursed it back to health. When the hawk flew off over a freshly fallen snow that Christmas, Dr. Barker decided to change his career path—veterinary medicine was the choice for him!

Dr. Barker grew up with his parents and two older sisters on a farm in central Iowa, where his love of nature and animals was first sparked. He attended Iowa State University to study veterinary medicine, eventually settling on the small-animal care track. Dr. Barker joined the Animal Hospital of Ashwaubenon family in 1981. He particularly enjoys wellness exams and preventative medicine, and loves educating new puppy or kitten owners and seeing their pets grow up happy and healthy.

Dr. Barker and his wife Sally have a newly married son, Dan, as well as a grand-puppy named Moonbeam. At home, they live with an English Setter named Breeze, who has hunted numerous bird species from Wisconsin all the way to Montana. His new addition in the summer of 2016 is another English Setter named J.J.

When he isn’t caring for pets here at the hospital or training with Breeze and J.J., Dr. Barker enjoys trying his hand in woodworking and sailing with his wife. They own a sailboat in Door County, and spend many weekends sailing on Green Bay!

Dr. Michele LaFond

Owner, Veterinarian

Dr. Michele LaFond inherited her love of animals from her mother, who always kept a menagerie of pets—dogs, cats, tropical fish, a cockatiel, even a Bobwhite quail—around the house. Dr. LaFond never had a question in her mind: she was determined to become a veterinarian someday to help all the pets that she could!

Born and raised in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, Dr. LaFond moved to Manitowoc with her family in the third grade. After high school, she attended the University of Wisconsin in River Falls to earn her Bachelor’s degree. From there, she pursued her Master’s degree in veterinary science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, then applied to the university’s School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. LaFond graduated with her Doctorate in 1989.

While practicing in her hometown of Manitowoc, Dr. LaFond was approached by the Animal Hospital of Ashwaubenon (known at that time as Roningen-Nyren Animal Hospital) about a job opportunity. She gladly accepted, and started here in the summer of 1997. By 1999, she had become part-owner!

When she has time between her duties as a full-time veterinarian and practice owner, Dr. LaFond enjoys gardening, camping, reading, cooking, quilting, and spending time with her many pets. She shares her home with Donzi, a yellow Lab; a black Lab named Maggie who has a bad habit of eating rocks; a small Havenese named Eddie; three cats named Bo, Sammy, and Ramsey; and eight koi fish who live in the backyard pond.

Dr. Michael Gass

Owner, Veterinarian

Dr. Michael Gass grew up in Wisconsin Rapids with a house full of dogs and cats. He’s wanted to be a veterinarian since he was in grade school! Dr. Gass never gave up on his dream—now he’s a full-time veterinarian and part-owner of the Animal Hospital of Ashwaubenon.

Dr. Gass earned his undergraduate degree in biology at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls before attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison to receive his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. He started at the Animal Hospital of Ashwaubenon right out of veterinary school in 1997 and has worked here ever since. Dr. Gass has a special interest in internal medicine, and loves the fact that every day’s workload brings something different. Most of all, he enjoys building long-term relationships with the clinic’s clients and their pets.

In his spare time, Dr. Gass enjoys fishing, camping, and golfing. He lives with his wife, Becky, their two daughters, Katelyn and Kyah, and several pets. The furry members of the family include a sheltie named Mulligan; Bunker, a King Charles Cavalier; three cats who go by Bogey, Blu, and Kahlua; two rabbits; a pair of guinea pigs; and a chinchilla.

Dr. Jessie Hermes

Veterinarian

Dr. Jessie Hermes grew up in Green Bay in a home populated by everything from dogs, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rabbits to cockatiels, fish, and a green iguana. She was fascinated by every unique aspect of their care needs, and it wasn’t hard for her to develop a passion for animal medicine early on in life. Now, Dr. Hermes gets to work hands-on with the creatures she loves every day––she helps the pets of her hometown as a veterinarian here at the Animal Hospital of Ashwaubenon!

Dr. Hermes attended the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse to earn her Bachelor’s degree in biology with a biomedical science concentration, working as an Animal Caretaker on campus and as a Veterinary Assistant at a local animal hospital during her studies. Next, she attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison to receive her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2015, even authoring peer-reviewed publications after performing research in chronic pain management and veterinary ophthalmology.

Dr. Hermes was thrilled to return to her hometown of Green Bay and join the Animal Hospital of Ashwaubenon in July of 2018––she especially likes chatting with clientele about wellness care and behavior, and she’s also interested in internal medicine and diagnostic work. She’s also fond of the way her job keeps her on her toes; Dr. Hermes likes to say that veterinary medicine is like a box of chocolates. She never knows quite what she’s going to get!

At home, Dr. Hermes lives with two cats: Javier, a mischievous black cat whose favorite pastime is pulling open cabinets and drawers to spill out their contents, and Jemma, a calico who Dr. Hermes rescued from a previous place of employment. When she isn’t doting on her feline companions or tending to pets’ needs here at the clinic, Dr. Hermes enjoys playing volleyball and tennis, going for hikes in Baird’s Creek, cheering on the Green Bay Packers and the Wisconsin Badgers, and eating booyah.

Our dog became very sick and because of the diligence of Dr. LaFond we were able to determine that our dog's kidney needed to be removed. We would not have... Read More

Amy Wied

The staff at Animal Hospital of Ashwaubenon are awesome! They cry with you when you have to say good bye to a faithful friend and celebrate with you when you add a new kitten to the family. I have had excellent care for my cats over the last 30 years.

Excellent staff and facility. Dr. Michele LaFond is fantastic. I like that the hospital is AAHA accredited. It makes me feel confident that my dog is receiving the best care possible. Thank you for the great service.

We love the staff! They are the best at personal service. They answer every question with compassion & honesty. Always a smile or 3 when u walk in the door. They were very helpful & loving when our dog Wolfy passed away. They help in any way possible. They are always happy to see our new puppy Nala when we come in as well. :-)
Bring all of your animal family members here. <3
They are the best!